Writing & Research · pattern C, Text in
Paste or type your text and the counts update as you type — words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and reading and speaking time. Nothing is submitted and nothing is stored.
words = count of whitespace-separated tokens
Sentences are counted on terminal punctuation and paragraphs on blank lines. Reading time assumes 238 words per minute silently; speaking time assumes 130.
51
Average sentence length 12.8 words.
Word processors disagree with each other and with this tool. Hyphenated compounds may count as one word or two, numerals and symbols are handled inconsistently, and footnotes, captions, headings, tables and reference lists are sometimes inside the limit and sometimes outside it. Most institutions specify exactly what is excluded — commonly the reference list, appendices and title page. Read that rule before trusting any count, including this one.
If the number is not the part you are stuck on, that is what the service is for — a specialist who explains the working, not just the answer.
Counts, readability scores and citation formats are guides. Your institution's word-count rule and its preferred style-guide edition override anything shown here.